Attorneys suing Chicago police over a fatal shooting are calling out what one officer said within seconds of arriving on the scene ... claiming it shows evidence of misconduct.
Police shot and killed Derek Jordan back in March after a pursuit that the department has said was linked to a shooting on the Eisenhower Expressway. Body-worn camera from the scene on Homan Avenue shows that the car Jordan was driving was surrounded by police cars and a CTA bus, and that officers were trying to de-escalate the situation.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of Jordan's mother claims that the officer who shot and killed Jordan did so within seconds of arriving on the scene, and despite colleagues' efforts to bring the situation to a peaceful conclusion.
"He arrived enraged and almost immediately told Derek he was going to kill him," said attoney Antonio Romanucci, who represents Jordan's mother Christine Tompkins. Audio captured by a body-worn camera recorded the officer, identified in the lawsuit as Max Walzer, screaming "Get out of the ... car! Or I'll ... shoot you! Get out! Get out! Get out of the ... car! I'll kill you! I'll kill you."
"Nobody should ever be predicting once they arrive on a scene who should live and who should die," Romanucci told reporters Monday, drawing a parallel to the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey in Sangamon County by a sheriff's deputy. "This was driven by systemic failures in training, supervision and accountability."
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting. The city of Chicago typically does not comment on pending litigation.
CPD officer recorded yelling "I'll kill you" before firing
CPD officer recorded yelling "I'll kill you" before firing
